With an unprecedented 652,000 special ballots having been requested for the Alberta referendum, the ability of Elections Alberta and Canada Post to manage such a volume of ballots has been questioned.

So far, Elections Alberta has verified a third of the packages sent to citizens and has found that over 3,000 ballots had errors on them, making them invalid. Common causes of error are the lack of a copy of identification provided in the ballot envelope or not having signed the declaration within the package. Elections Alberta has contacted those citizens where they can and offers the ability to correct the errors. It’s estimated that 500,000 ballots still have yet to arrive with Elections Alberta.

Another concern has been ballots being lost or delayed in the mail. Canada Post has not traditionally been the most reliable way to transmit documents. Particularly when they are hit with a sudden volume.

Go Ad Free

People who requested special ballots will have gotten an email from Elections Alberta confirming their request. There is a link within that email that can be used to check the status of a ballot. If the email has been deleted, a person can still call Elections Alberta to confirm if their ballot was received and accepted. The responsibility for ensuring a ballot was received by Elections Alberta is on the voter. People with concerns should follow up.

If a citizen’s ballot was not received by Elections Alberta, a citizen can still vote at advance polls or on October 19. With less than two weeks remaining before the vote, citizens should check to ensure their vote was received.